A “Russian spy whale” has appeared off the coast of Sweden, after first appearing in Norway four years ago. The beluga whale, which has spent the past three years tracking around Norway, was speculatively claimed as spying for the Russian Armed Forces. It first captured attention in 2019 when Norwegian...
A “Russian spy whale” has appeared off the coast of Sweden, after first appearing in Norway four years ago.
The beluga whale, which has spent the past three years tracking around Norway, was speculatively claimed as spying for the Russian Armed Forces.
It first captured attention in 2019 when Norwegian fisherman sighted the uncommonly tame whale with an unusual tight harness strapped around its upper body.
The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries said “Equipment St Petersburg” was written on the harness strap, which featured a mount for an action camera.
According to the BBC, an investigation by Norway’s domestic intelligence agency found “the whale is likely to have been part of a Russian research program”.
It was last monitored near Hunnebostrand, off south-west Sweden.
During the Cold War, both the USSR and United States trained dolphins to detect underwater threats.
